Monica Vitti (born 3 November 1931) [1][2][3] is an Italian actress best known for her starring roles in films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni during the early 1960s. [4] After working with Antonioni, Vitti changed focus and began making comedies, working with director Mario Monicelli on many films. She has appeared with

Marcello Mastroianni , Alain Delon , Richard Harris , Terence Stamp, Michael Caine, and Dirk Bogarde. Vitti won five David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress, seven Italian Golden Globes for Best Actress, the Career Golden Globe, and the Venice Film Festival Career Golden Lion Award. [5]

Early life

Born Maria Luisa Ceciarelli in Rome , she acted in amateur productions as a teenager, then trained as an actress at Rome's National Academy of Dramatic Arts (graduating in 1953) and at Pittman's College, where she played a teen in a charity performance of Dario Niccodemi 's La nemica. She toured Germany with an Italian acting troupe and her first stage appearance in Rome was for a production of

Niccolò Machiavelli's La Mandragola.

Monica Vitti as Marisa Ceciarelli early in his career (1953)

Film career

Early Roles

Vitti's first film role was an uncredited bit part in

Edoardo Anton's Ridere Ridere Ridere (1954). She was in Adriana Lecouvreur (1955), the TV series

L'alfiere (1956) and the TV movies Questi ragazzi (1956) and Il tunnel (1958). She did an episode of Mont-Oriol (1958) and dubbed Rosaana Rory 's voice in Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958).

Vitti's first widely noted performance was at the age of 26, in Mario Amendola 's Le dritte (1958) with Franco Fabrizi . She was in the TV movie Il borghese gentiluomo (1959). [6]

Antonioni

In 1957 she joined Michelangelo Antonioni's

Teatro Nuovo di Milano and dubbed the voice of

Dorian Gray in the director's Il Grido ( The Cry , 1957). She played a leading role in Antonioni's internationally praised film L'avventura (1960), as a detached and cool protagonist drifting into a relationship with the lover of her missing girlfriend. Giving a screen presence which has been described as "stunning", she is also credited with helping Antonioni raise money for the production and sticking with him through daunting location shooting. L'avventura made Vitti an international star. Her image later appeared on an Italian postage stamp commemorating the film. According to The New York Times , Vitti's "air of disenchantment perfectly conveys the unreal aura of her heroines." [7]

Red Desert (1964)

Vitti received critical praise for starring roles in the Antonioni film La Notte ( Night, 1961), with

Jeanne Moreau and Marcello Mastroianni . Vitti starred in a TV movie Le notti bianche (1962) then did a third with Antonioni, L'Eclisse (1962) with Alain Delon. [8]

Vitti was one of many stars in an anthology movie, Three Fables of Love (1962). She had a cameo in Sweet and Sour (1963) and played the lead in a comedy for Roger Vadim, Nutty, Naughty Chateau (1963). Vitti was then in another anthology film High Infidelity (1964) and made a fourth with Antonioni, Il Deserto Rosso ( Red Desert , 1964), with Richard Harris . The director said Vitti "certainly inspires me, because I like to watch and direct her, but the parts I give her are a long way from her own character." [9]

After Vitti's relationship with Antonioni ended, the two did not work together again until Il mistero di Oberwald (1980). [10]

Vitti starred in a comedy for Tinto Brass , The Flying Saucer (1964), and appeared in the anthology, The Dolls (1964).

International Films

Vitti's first English language film was Modesty Blaise (1966), a mod James Bond spy spoof in which she performed in July 1965. [11] Co starring Terence Stamp and Dirk Bogarde, directed by Joseph Losey , it had only mixed success and received harsh critical reviews.

She performed in the anthology movie The Queens (1966), a television series Les fables de La Fontaine (1966), Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold (1967) with Jean Sorel , and I Married You for Fun (1967).

Vitti appeared in On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... (1967) with Tony Curtis , The Girl with a Pistol (1968) with Stanley Baker, The Bitch Wants Blood (1969) with Maurice Ronet , and Help Me, My Love (1969) with Alberto Sordi . [12]

1970s

Vitti in Duck in Orange Sauce (1975)

Vitti starred with Marcello Mastroianni in Ettore Scola's highly successful romantic comedy

Dramma della gelosia ( The Pizza Triangle, 1970). She followed it with Ninì Tirabusciò, la donna che inventò la mossa (1970), Le coppie (1970) with Sordi, The Pacifist (1970), La supertestimone (1971), That's How We Women Are (1971), and

Orders Are Orders (1972). [13]

Vitti was in a version of La Tosca (1973) and a comedy Teresa the Thief (1973). She made

Polvere di stelle (1973), directed by Alberto Sordi , for which she won the 1974 David di Donatello award for Best Actress .

Vitti played a key part in one of the episodic vignettes in Luis Buñuel's The Phantom of Liberty (1974). She did two films with Claudia Cardinale ,

The Immortal Bachelor (1975) and Blonde in Black Leather (1975).

She was in Duck in Orange Sauce (1975),, Mimì Bluette... fiore del mio giardino (1976), Basta che non si sappia in giro!.. (1977), L'altra metà del cielo (1977), State Reasons (1978), Il cilindro (1978), Per vivere meglio, divertitevi con noi (1978), Amori miei (1978) and Tigers in Lipstick (1979) (with Ursula Andress).

Vitti's second English film was An Almost Perfect Affair (1979), directed by Michael Ritchie and co-starring Keith Carradine, which was set during the Cannes Film Festival . [14]

Later career

Vitti reunited with Antonioni in The Mystery of Oberwald (1980) which is not as well known as

L'Avventura . [15] She followed it in I Don't Understand You Anymore (1980), Camera d'albergo (1981), Tango of Jealousy (1981), I Know That You Know That I Know (1982) with Sordi, Scusa se è poco (1982), Flirt (1983), and

Francesca è mia (1986). She co wrote the last two films. In 1984 she was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Jack Lang, who praised her for helping spur a renewal of Italian films. "We need Italian cinema to find its health again so that French cinema will not remain an island in the middle of other European countries," Lang said. [16] By 1986, Vitti had returned to the theatre as an actress and teacher.

In 1989, Vitti tried writing and directing, and created Scandalo Segreto (1990), which she also starred in alongside Elliott Gould . [10] The film was not a success and she then retired from cinema.

During the 1990s she did television work, acting and directing, including Ma tu mi vuoi bene? (1992).

In 1993 Vitti was awarded the Festival Tribute at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival, in France.

Personal life

Michelangelo Antonioni and Vitti met in the late 1950s, and their relationship grew stronger after

L'Avventura was made, because it had shaped both their careers. However, by the late 1960s, they did not make any movies together, making the relationship strained until it officially ended. In a later interview, Vitti stated that Antonioni ended their relationship. They made the film Il mistero di Oberwald together in 1981.

In 1995 Vitti married Roberto Russo, with whom she had lived since 1975. In 2011, it was learned that Alzheimer's disease had "removed her from the public gaze for the last 15 years." [17] In 2018, her husband confirmed she is still living in Rome and with a caretaker. [18]

Awards

Nastro d'Argento (Italy): 3 occasions ( Best Supporting Actress : 1962. Best Actress: 1969, 1976)

David di Donatello (Italy): 5 occasions ( Best Actress : 1969, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1979)

Golden Grail (Italy): 4 occasions

Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival . [19]

Filmography

Year Title Notes

1954 Laugh! Laugh! Laugh!

1954 Una pelliccia di visone

1955 Adriana Lecouvreur

1958 Le dritte

1960 L'Avventura Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Revelation

Golden Grail for Best Actress

Nominated— BAFTA for Best Foreign Actress

Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

1961 La Notte Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress

1962 L'Eclisse Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

1962 Three Fables of Love Golden Plate

1963 Nutty, Naughty Chateau

1963 Follie d'estate

1963 Sweet and Sour

1964 High Infidelity Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress

1964 Red Desert Golden Grail for Best Actress

1964 Il disco volante

1965 Le bambole

1966 Sex Quartet Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress

1966 Modesty Blaise

1967 I Married You for Fun Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

Nominated— Golden Grail for Best Actress

Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

1967 Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold

1968 The Girl with the Pistol David di Donatello for Best Actress

Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

Golden Grail for Best Actress

1968 The Scarlet Lady

1969 On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...

1969 Help Me, My Love Golden Grail for Best Actress (also for The Pizza Triangle )

1970 Ninì Tirabusciò David di Donatello for Best Actress

Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress (also for The Pizza Triangle )

1970 The Pizza Triangle Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

1970 Le coppie

1970 The Pacifist

1971 La Supertestimone Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

1971 That's How We Women Are

1972 Teresa the Thief Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

1972 Gli ordini sono ordini

1973 La Tosca Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

1973 Polvere di stelle David di Donatello for Best Actress

1974 The Phantom of Liberty

1975 Duck in Orange Sauce David di Donatello for Best Actress

Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

1975 The Immortal Bachelor

1975 Qui comincia l'avventura

1976 Basta che non si sappia in giro

1977 Mimì Bluette... fiore del mio giardino

1977 L'altra metà del cielo Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

1978 Per vivere meglio, divertitevi con noi

1978 State Reasons

1979 Tigers in Lipstick

1979 Amori miei David di Donatello for Best Actress

1979 An Almost Perfect Affair

1980 I Don't Understand You Anymore

1981 Il tango della gelosia

1981 Camera d'albergo Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

1981 The Mystery of Oberwald

1982 I Know That You Know That I Know

1982 Scusa se è poco

1983 Flirt Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement

Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

Nominated— David di Donatello for Best Actress

Nominated— Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress

1986 Francesca è mia

1989 Secret Scandal Italian Golden Globe for the Best First Feature

Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

Nominated— David di Donatello for Best New Director

Television

Ma tu mi vuoi bene? (1991 miniseries)

References

1. ^ Profile of Monica Vitti

2. ^ "GdP" .

3. ^ "VITTI, Monica in "Enciclopedia Italiana" " .

4. ^ "Monica Vitti" . Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 7 March 2012. [ better source needed ]

5. ^ Enrico Lancia (1998). I premi del cinema. Gremese Editore, 1998.

ISBN 978-8877422217 .

6. ^ Features/Articles/People: Monica Vitti Walter, Eugene. Vogue; New York Vol. 147, Iss. 4, (Feb 15, 1966): 122, 123, 124, 125, 155

7. ^ 'Most Controversial Director': Controversial Director, by Melton S. Davisrome. New York Times 15 Nov 1964: SM34.

8. ^ The Eclipse. Houston, Penelope. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 32, Iss. 2, (Spring 1963): 90.

9. ^ In the Red Desert Manceaux, Michele. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 33, Iss. 3, (Summer 1964): 118.

10. ^ a b Scandal, sex, lies and Vitti tapes: After a life in front of the camera, Monica Vitti has stepped behind it as director Vidal, John. The Guardian 11 May 1990: 36.

11. ^ Monica Vitti in New Film. New York Times 2 July 1965: 17.

12. ^ Movie Call Sheet: Columbia to Film 'Gorgeous'. Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 19 Sep 1966: C28.

13. ^ Beauty Bulletin: Monica Vitti: A Woman for All Seasons Vogue; New York Vol. 156, Iss. 9, (Nov 15, 1970): 148, 149.

14. ^ OF PIRATES AND PERRIER Rosenfield, Paul. Los Angeles Times 26 Aug 1979: m1.

15. ^ At the Movies: Monica Vitti working again on a project with Antonioni. Buckley, Tom. New York Times 11 May 1979: C6.

16. ^ France honors actress Monica Vitti. The Globe and Mail 7 Mar 1984: M.9.

17. ^ "Antonioni's muse is 80: Happy Birthday Monica Vitti" . 3 November 2011.

18. ^ "Il marito di Monica Vitti: "Basta fake news, non è in una clinica svizzera" " . 18 January 2018.

19. ^ "Berlinale: 1984 Winners" . Berlinale. Retrieved 4 January 2011.

Further reading

Antonioni, Michelangelo (1963). Michelangelo Antonioni: an introduction. Trans. by Scott Sullivan. New York: Simon and Schuster

Arrowsmith, William & Perry, Ted, eds. (1995).

Antonioni: the poet of images. New York: Oxford University Press

Borsatti, Cristina (2005). Monica Vitti. Palermo: L'epos

Brunette, Peter (1998). The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni. New York: Cambridge University Press

Chatman, Seymour (1985). Antonioni, or the Surface of the World. Berkeley: University of California Press

Delli Colli, Laura (1987). Monica Vitti . Rome: Gremese Editore

External links

Monica Vitti on IMDb

Monica Vitti – a sad childhood, a glittering career and a bitter old age , at aenigma .

Monica Vitti , at LeninImports

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